TMCnet Feature Free eNews Subscription
August 26, 2013

kintone: Redefining Business Collaboration for SMBs, Large Enterprises

By Carrie Schmelkin, Director of Content Marketing, Content Boost

There’s no doubt that legacy applications hold us back; namely, they preclude seamless enterprise collaboration and hamper productivity. And when it comes to integrating business applications, social communication and internal/external collaboration, simply put, old tactics no longer cut it in the business world.



Sensing that businesses of all sizes—from small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to large enterprises—are searching for a way to escape the abundance of e-mails, spreadsheets and social feeds, kintone, a company that is not even two years old, decided to do something about it.

“We are about new, next-generation collaboration solutions that can be used for small business and large enterprises,” Ken Aoyama, executive office and chief global business officer for kintone, told TMCnet at ITEXPO (News - Alert). “It’s about simplified internal and external collaboration.”

Owned by Cybozu—a Japanese-based company founded 16 years ago—kintone offers an all-in-one enterprise solution through its marketplace. Touted as a “drive-thru” for business apps, kintone allows customers to scan its marketplace and pick and click business apps to utilize. Applications range from a sales CRM pack to project management services to customer support applications. Whether you are looking to provide support for your IT, human resources, customer service, research and development or marketing departments, kintone offers easy-to-use, custom products.

Typically, companies have to hire vendors to create business applications and then a whole other set of vendors to customize the solutions. With kintone, however, a new, customized business app can be up and running in just three minutes. Moreover, customers have more than 20 free apps from which they can choose.

Some of the chief features of the kintone solution include:

  • Workspace-based Collaboration: Designed to enhance collaboration with internal colleagues and external partners, kintone offers business apps, real-time charts, business process, and communication all in one place.
  • Business Process Management: Allowing customers to make business decisions with a few clicks or taps. The app also allows companies to define business process with external partners.
  • Social Communication: Customers can keep tabs on all social feeds and leverage this real-time information to create new business opportunities and resolve problems quickly.

kintone has quickly found its niche in the marketplace, as evidenced by the fact that the company currently boasts the No. 1 market share in Japan for SMB collaboration software. This is in large part due to the fact that more than 75 percent of the company’s revenue comes from sales from its Japanese partners like Fujitsu and Hitachi (News - Alert).

According to Aoyama, though the company has only been around for a few short months, the feedback from customers has been incredible.

“They love how they can do everything from creating to do lists to overseeing project management for both internal and external business applications,” he said. “Customers are very surprised that you can create an app with the click of a button; that’s a big plus for them.”

While at ITEXPO Las Vegas 2013 this week, kintone is hoping to spread the word that by leveraging its integrated business applications, customers can enhance productivity and drive efficiencies.  In addition to boasting an “easy-to-use” solution, kintone simplifies internal collaboration, according to Aoyama.

To learn more about kintone, click here.




Edited by Rachel Ramsey
» More TMCnet Feature Articles
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]
SHARE THIS ARTICLE

LATEST TMCNET ARTICLES

» More TMCnet Feature Articles